Snatching Summer Moments

Ahhhh Summer; My most favorite time of year. Remember those great Country Time Lemonade commercials filled with images of joyful, relaxing summer days; family gathered in rocking chairs on the porch, children running and jumping off of a dock or swinging on a tire swing? Those commercials captured what summer is to me. Joy, relaxation, fun, a slower pace…

With each passing year my children’s lives become busier and my homeschool planning time grows as their school lessons become greater. Homeschooling is a full time job. Gone are the days of a clean-cut end to our school year and beginning of summer. They sort of blend together now. Just this year my high schooler continued through just about all of the summer catching up on a few subjects. These past few summers I have become irritated and frustrated that life will not give me that dream summer I envision in those commercials. This year I decided I had a choice to make. I could give in to the frustration that life won’t give me a break, and allow it to ruin my mood, or I could snatch up as many moments of summer as I am able and enjoy those moments as they come. God doesn't want me to be so busy with things that I miss out on special moments with my family, or quiet times with Him. He wants us to enjoy life not survive life! So while I didn’t have some long, stretched out period of time before me with beautiful blank spaces on the calendar, I did steal quite a few wonderful moments. Pieced together they have added up to quite a nice summer and I feel blessed for having experienced peace and joy in each one of those stolen moments. In addition to lingering snuggle time after sleeping in, a picnic or two, and some fun family outings we enjoyed moments like these...

 Playing in the rain. 

When the first 6 weeks of summer are rainy you just have to get out in it!

Prayer time on the porch in the mornings

A garden party with friends

Blueberry picking, a time...

...or two!

ahhhh the bounty!

Simply enjoying the flowers

Lesson plans from the porch

Because the weather (after all that rain!) was too gorgeous to stay inside!

 

A quick trip to the beach

There are just under 4 fleeting weeks until Labor Day. How will you snatch up some moments before they are gone? I have many school plans to do still but for now I am off to enjoy some time outside with my kiddos.